Using case study methodology, and an interpretative paradigm, this study illuminates the hitherto unresearched hidden help that parents give their children with maths. It uses data collected from two phases, the first being three case studies of parents who approached the author as a private tutor, the second being five case studies of parents participating in a 'Maths for Parents' course designed by the author. It establishes that without prompting, parents do help their children with maths. It identifies seven new aspects of why and how parents help with maths: rescuing their children from the negative effects of school maths (a 'saviour attitude'), influenced by parents' past bad experiences ofmaths; being a source of maths knowledge for their children; keeping a watchful eye on whether the curriculum is being covered; trying to keep their child one step ahead of school lessons; acting as a bridge between home and school; concern for their child's welfare rather than academic achievement; and responding to their child's request. Parents who do not have an up-to-date understanding of pedagogy and school/curriculum structures have difficulties in supporting their children's maths, irrespective of their social class or mathematical ability. The study concludes that the practice is more widespread than has previously been acknowledged. It urgently needs to be recognised, and parents' perspectives understood by policy makers and schools, to limit the damage that can arise through ignorance of its extent. Although some parents may continue to work independently, as their agendas are mutually exclusive from those of school, initiatives to work in partnership with parents can be successful in bringing greater understanding of the curriculum, enriching parents' understanding of school maths and their relationships with their children and school, and resolving the conflicts that can hamper a child's mathematical progress.

This project is a case study on the vertical and horizontal occupational structures of physical therapy and how gender attitudes on opportunities can influence one’s workplace satisfaction. The theoretical perspective is based upon a gendered organizational theory and organizational justice operating in a latent manner through gendered opportunities on workplace satisfaction. Horizontal segregation (location and specialty) has been linked to gender essentialism, while vertical hierarchy (work continuity, earnings, and supervisory duties) has also been linked to male primacy. Workers’ perceived attitudes about opportunities for women (promotions and jobs) can potentially influence the outcome of job satisfaction. The 2004 Physical Therapy Labor Force Survey was examined for potential bias using a sample of physical therapists (PTs) from the 2000 US Census PUMS 5 percent sample. Using the 2004 survey data for salaried PTs, two dependent variables were generated via factor analysis (intrinsic rewards and well-being) from a 10-item workplace attitudes scale. Regression analyses on these models by gender revealed specific associations among the explanatory variables and the workplace attitude factors. Women who selected the response “promotion opportunities worse for women” on average had lower intrinsic reward and well-being factor scores (compared to those selecting no difference). Yet, men who chose “job opportunities better for women” on average had lower well-being scores (compared to men reporting no difference); this was not shown to be the case for intrinsic rewards for men. In general, the results of this research suggest that female respondents with the perception that women have less chance for promotion than men tended to lower their job satisfaction. However, male respondents who perceived that women have a greater chance of jobs than men tended to have reduced job satisfaction scores. The results for women were in both domains of satisfaction (intrinsic rewards and well-being), whereas those for men were only for well-being. Job satisfaction is affected by the social structure (vertical and horizontal), gender, and attitudes about opportunities in physical therapy associations among the explanatory variables and the workplace attitude factors.

Home-school relations are critical in determining how the educational process interacts with and is shaped by various social, cultural, political, and economic institutions. I focus my research on the educational involvement of mothers who volunteer at the elementary level in both the U.S. and Taiwan to seek a cross-cultural perspective on the structural inequalities embedded within home-school relations through the examination of mothers¡¦ roles on the one hand and the school¡¦s expectations on the other hand. By interviewing volunteering mothers and school administrators at one elementary school in each country, I discovered differences as well as similarities, reflected in the dominant mothering and educational discourses in the two countries. This qualitative cross-cultural study suggests a need to incorporate cultural and institutional variables currently outside of social and cultural capital-based frameworks in understanding the dynamics of home-school relations.

No description available.

This research studies the effectiveness of teaching art appreciation to home schooled children ages 10-17 through a DBAE curriculum in pinhole photography via a weekend workshop. An autoethnographic approach to recording data about the students’ learning and my experience as their teacher was used in the research. Data was recorded as journal notes during and after each workshop from my experiences as their teacher and analyzed according to a grounded theory based on open coding. The workshop was open for registration of up to 25 home schooled students of any race, male or female, from the ages of 10 - 17. While the research reports a successful change in students’ appreciation of photography as a result of the workshop, parental values proved to be both an obstacle and area of potential future research.

No description available.

This study was designed to examine whether there is an association between the activities suggested by a federally mandated Title 1 learning compact and the reading achievement of at-risk fourth grade students. In addition, the researcher investigated the relationship between specific home and school parent involvement activities and student reading scores. Specifically, connections between reading comprehension achievement and the following parent involvement variables were examined: (1) homework involvement, (2) reading together, (3) monitoring of television viewing, (4) volunteering in the school, and (5) supporting school activities. The subjects used for this study were fourth grade students who were enrolled in a Title 1 reading program. Data for the study was obtained from surveys given to teachers, the Title 1 students, and their parents. Reading achievement scores were obtained from fall and spring administrations of the reading comprehension subtest from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the gains between the two measures. Chi square analyses were used to examine whether the levels of involvement by specific parties on the independent variables were associated with different levels of reading comprehension achievement. A second analysis was done with analysis of variance procedures. The study did not find any significant relationships between reading comprehension achievement and the total degree of involvement by all or either parents, teacher, and students on the learning compact. When specific parental involvement variables were examined, however, some differences among the groups emerged. A significant positive association was found between the degree of homework involvement and achievement while a significant negative relationship was found between the level of parental support and reading achievement. Parents' answers to the open-ended questions indicated that almost forty percent (38.8) of them would like less demands on parents or changes made in the school climate. The usefulness of an unidimensional index of parental involvement is called into question and the results are discussed within the context of instructional implications. / Ed. D.

Researchers have emphasized the importance of parental involvement in ensuring the educational success of children. Despite the recognized value, some stakeholders continue to struggle to leverage and sustain this partnership, which may encumber students' success. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the factors influencing parental involvement in Jamaican high schools. This qualitative case study sought to unearth the motivational factors influencing parental involvement within a climate of educational accountability in Jamaican high schools. Grounded in Epstein's school-family-community partnership model, this study unearthed some of the differences and similarities of parental involvement within high schools that were described as high and under performing schools and what informed those differences. Sixteen participants from 4 high schools were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. The data were analyzed thematically and interpreted against Epstein's theory. The findings of this study indicated that all stakeholders in a child's education had mutual interests and influences and an expressed desired to increase their involvement. The motivational factors driving their involvement varied from policies, beliefs, benefits, and personal challenges; parental involvement also differed in quality and quantity across schools and requires creativity in design for greater involvement, accountability, and impact. The strategic utility of these findings can assist in the creation of the home support engagements needed to remove the constraints impeding students and wider school success, thereby guiding students into successful directions, which is the epitome of social change.

This study explores women teachers’ lives to understand their experiences of teaching in South Africa today. Accountability and a culture of performativity have to come to dominate schooling in South Africa. Since then, teachers have decreased discretion and autonomy over their work. This study examines the claim that educational reforms and initiatives have changed the nature of teachers’ work. This is a qualitative study drawing on autobiographies, journal entries and interviews. This study which was conducted with four women teachers from secondary schools, provides a commentary on their past experiences with the intention of exploring their identity formation, and how it frames the enactment of their personal and professional identities. The study analyses the ways in which women teachers experience the new mode of regulation which has changed the nature of professionalism and teacher identity. It examines the expansion of teachers’ roles and responsibilities and their negotiating a balance between work and family. The findings show that the women teachers bring into schools experiences gleaned from their personal history. A prominent feature in the narratives is the women teachers’ struggle to find a balance between the demands of home and school in the light of the new mode of teacher regulation. This thesis contributes to South African research on women teachers and their negotiation of the relationship between work and home.

The current thesis investigated the relationship between Vietnamese parents of children with a disability and special educators who worked with these parents in both mainstream and special schools in Melbourne Metropolitan Regions of the state of Victoria, Australia. The key objective of the study was to research the role of the parent-educator (interpersonal) relationship and its interrelatedness with the task: two major components of a home-school partnership. The research question that guided this study was 'How does the parent-educator relationship influence the operation of a family-centered home-school partnership?' With partnerships involving parents of diverse cultural backgrounds, investigating cultural influences on the partnership were an integral part of the research process. A qualitative interpretive approach was employed in searching for perceptions of involved parties about their home-school partnerships. The design selected was multiple embedded case studies with purposeful sampling. Influences on home-school partnership were investigated from a multidimensional perspective and were described and interpreted from the views of both parents and educators. The findings indicated that the relationship played a much more significant role than the task in the successfulness of an intercultural home-school partnership. Without a mutual understanding of home-school communication, the collaboration was far from productive or even did not work out. There was also evidence that a harmonious parent-educator interpersonal relationship did not seem to have any influence on the effectiveness of a home-school partnership without parent-educator mutual understanding and agreement in terms of goals and roles expectations. The need for the educators to be more appropriately equipped with cultural training and family-centered principles also arose from the study findings.